Archinect - News

Where the sidewalk (ext)ends: Gensler reveals updated plans for Hollywood Walk of Fame pedestrian improvements

2022-08-04T19:28:00-04:00

Two years after its initial announcement, Gensler has shared updated project renderings and new site plan details for its pedestrian enhancement of LA's Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The project entails a number of hastened improvements to the road surface and overall streetscape. Construction is expected to begin next summer and take $7.2 million to complete its first phase through the end of 2024. Gensler is the prime consultant for this segment of the larger $60 million comprehensive plan authored by Los Angeles Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, while full design details are still being finalized.

Image courtesy Gensler

As reported by Time Out, the construction will affect a segment of Hollywood Boulevard between Gower Street and Orange Drive. Among the upgrades, added planters and outdoor dining areas will feature prominently alongside new shade trees, kiosks, and spaces dedicated to temporary art installations. The project will also include a bus stop consolidation and important traffic la...

Paris approves Champs-Élysées makeover

2021-01-12T15:40:00-05:00

The mayor of Paris has said a €250m (£225m) makeover of the Champs-Élysées will go ahead, though the ambitious transformation will not happen before the French capital hosts the 2024 Summer Olympics. Anne Hidalgo said the planned work, unveiled in 2019 by local community leaders and businesses, would turn the 1.9 km (1.2 mile) stretch of central Paris into “an extraordinary garden”.

The Champs-Élysées, History & Perspectives study, led by French architect Philippe Chiambaretta of PCA-STREAM, explains the potential of the major urban overhaul: "The overall vision for the district located between the Champs-Élysées roundabout and the Arc de Triomphe builds up the quality of use over a period of ten years through the reduction of nuisances (noise, heat, car traffic...) and improving comfort (air quality, spaces given back to pedestrians...)."

Rendering from the Champs-Élysées, History & Perspectives study, led by Philippe Chiambaretta/PCA-STREAM.

"The Étoile intersection is reinvented as a public plaza geared towards tourists and Parisians who come to contemplate the Arc de Triomphe. On the avenue, the promenade experience makes a comeback and flâneurs will be able to stroll up and down the historic boulevard in an atmosphere greatly improved by the reduction in motor traffic."

Previously on Archinect: Parisians seek to restore the Champs-Élysées to its former glo...

This is what a major Hollywood Walk of Fame overhaul could look like

2020-01-30T20:08:00-05:00

Wider sidewalks and new street trees are in the works for the iconic 1.3-mile corridor. [...] A new website offers a look at design concepts for the Hollywood Walk of Fame's new master plan - a core component City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell's Heart of Hollywood initiative.

LA's major tourist draw, the iconic Walk of Fame along a section of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, has experienced nearly six decades of transformation and could be up for a major overhaul soon.

The Heart of Hollywood initiative of Los Angeles Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell recently published a concept plan with further details and designs aiming to drastically improve the Walk of Fame's pedestrian experience.

Image: Gensler, via the Hollywood Walk of Fame concept plan for Heart of Hollywood.

"An 'enhanced complete street' concept has emerged as the favored alternative for the project, which, if implemented, would remove street parking and some automobile travel lanes to allow for wider sidewalks along the Walk of Fame," reports Urbanize LA. "The reclaimed space could be used for new amenities such as sidewalk dining, performance areas, seating and other furniture, playgrounds, and areas for street vendors."

The new concept plan is the first step toward a greater master plan t...

Parisians seek to restore the Champs-Élysées to its former glory

2019-12-19T17:46:00-05:00

The Champs-Élysées, often called the “most beautiful avenue in the world”, is not what it was. The pavements are cracked, the trees that line the cobbled, traffic-clogged road struggle to survive in one of Paris’s most polluted areas, and Parisians stay away. Now local community leaders have unveiled an ambitious €250m (£212m) project to restore the celebrated 1.2 mile (1.9km) long avenue to at least some of its former glory.

"The ambitious plans include reducing the space for vehicles by half, creating tunnels of trees and encouraging more aesthetic use of commercial spaces such as terraces," The Guardian lays out some details envisioned by Paris-based architect Philippe Chiambaretta of PCA-STREAM. So far, the endeavor is still in its proposal stage.

With the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics swiftly approaching, Paris has announced a number of civic beautification projects, including the Eiffel Tower Park redesign, the massive Gare du Nord overhaul (not without criticism), and Boulevard Périphérique improvements.

Looking to Houston — Yes, Houston — as a Model for Better Street Design

2014-05-28T14:04:00-04:00

The Houston Chronicle called it a “departure from what many consider the Houston model.” City leaders in this Texas metropolis want to scale back the space for cars in the central city to make room for wider sidewalks and bike lanes. [...] Houston’s wide, dangerous roads make it the seventh most-dangerous large city for pedestrians, according to last week’s Dangerous by Design report from Smart Growth America.